A great escape for Leinster hands them the opportunity to retain their Pro12 League title at the RDS but Jamie Heaslip admits the Blues are still making up for lost time.

Leinster’s ability to win the big games saw them edge Ulster in Saturday’s semi-final despite being held scoreless until the 58th minute.

They also had Gordon D’Arcy sin-binned, Dave Kearney suffered a knee injury and Brian O’Driscoll had to go off after a blow to the neck midway through the second half.

Typically, O’Driscoll didn’t want to go but the Leinster doctor John Ryan made the call. “Brian has been saying that stuff for 15 years,” quipped Blues head coach Matt O’Connor.

It won’t prevent O’Driscoll playing in the final against Glasgow Warriors.

But it looked for so long that this would be his last ever game. Ian Madigan’s 72nd minute try proved the crucial moment though and instead it was another inspirational figure – Johann Muller of Ulster – who had to bow out afterwards.

“If you talk about the knockouts last year against Glasgow here, I think we were quite lucky to beat them,” said Leinster skipper Jamie Heaslip.

“We know them so well over the last few years. We’ve had them in our group in Europe a couple of times as well.

“They’ve got some quality players and some absolutely outstanding finishers as well as guys up front who can really grind it out.” Leinster have got to this point without having played to their potential and Saturday’s win was a case in point.

But Heaslip says their failure in three previous league finals – they lost twice to the Ospreys and also to Munster – makes them determined to go for back-to-back crowns.

“I would have loved the other three,” said the No8. “But what we do know I suppose – what you try and learn from losses and what we realise from them – is that it’s on the day.

“Form, past form, the players you’ve got, all that stuff, it doesn’t matter come game day. It’s all about executing – knowing your job and role and executing – trying to have that control but then have that manic aggression in those little actions and little jobs that you’ve got to do.”

Leinster will face a Glasgow side who chalked up their ninth win on the spin in Friday’s 16-15 semi victory over Munster.

“They are a good side,” said O’Connor. “They are physical and very, very good in holding possession – they leak very little, they make you work for every point.”

But in fairness Leinster have got it right on most of the big days and O’Connor takes issue with the suggestion that his side won ugly against Ulster.

“I’d like not to think it was ugly, that was pretty intense,” said the Aussie.

“To fight your way back from 9-0 down and get a result, there was nothing ugly about that. That was pretty intense and satisfying.”